Blog Post 4 - "I Wasn't Ready"

The pilot for Orange Is the New Black puts Piper Chapman behind bars as she adjusts for what will be the next thirteen months of her life. Until the reason for her incarceration is revealed about halfway through the episode (handling drug money), much is shown about her character; she is kind but light-spirited but is clearly used to getting what she wants. The pilot does not sugar coat her situation, and it shows in her face that she will have a very difficult time transitioning from her life with her supportive fiance, to eating mice for dinner.

During her first day, there is a clear class conflict between the inmates. The "newbies" are dressed in orange, standing out significantly compared to the other inmates. Those who have served more time or whose lives were just altogether difficult, tend to hold power of the weaker, newer inmates. Piper's day goes along relatively well until she begins to talk too much. For example, when asked about her day, she says that "you're not supposed to ask that question," and everyone snickers. She then insults the food in front of the cook, setting her up for failure immediately. There is also a class system between the guards and the inmates as a whole. All guards have superior position to the inmates, but within the inmates, certain inmates have more power over the others, creating a pyramid of influence and power. How does everyone get along, then? All of the inmates, regardless of social position, are in the same place, so they make the best of it when they can. The cool gives yogurt in exchange for favors, and so on. This keeps the inmates from fighting all the time, as there is a common desire to just get through their time.

The show definitely has a focus on sex, and although at first glance it may seem like a ploy to hook viewers to the show, sex is a major part of prison culture in the real world. "Ninety percent of the inmates say they have had sex with another woman while in prison...sex in female prisons tends not to be coercive ("Inside a Maximum Security Women's Prison"). Although I have only watched the pilot, it is clear that this is the case in the show, as Piper sees when walking past the showers on her first day. It will be interesting to see how similar jail culture in the show is to jail culture in the real world.

Source: "Inside a Maximum Security Women's Prison." ABC News. ABC News Network, 4 Nov. 2004. Web. 13 June 2015.

Marxist Concepts	Applications to Orange Is the New Black
False Consciousness	It is implied that the guards to favors for the inmates, in exchange for other favors. Since they also can control "rare" items such as shampoo, it gives them leverage. This can give a false sense of equality.
Class Conflict	A clear conflict between the older and new inmates, as well as the inmates and the guards.
Alienation	Due to her mannerisms and her accidental insults (as well as the fact that it is her first day), Piper is already being alienated from the rest of the inmates. She will have to adjust if she wants to fit in.
Hegemony	The physically stronger inmates have power of the weak.  The guards have power over the inmates